satrapi speaks

“I hate that man more than any other human being on Earth. If there is one creature on the planet that I detest, it’s that asshole. He is despicable. I loathe him. Because he’s nothing but a shit, a fucking asshole.” That description of British Prime Minister Tony Blair is how this interview with Marjane Satrapi, graphic novelist and, apparently, expert shit-talker, begins. She covers Iranian social life and politics, the relationship between cigarettes and sex, feminism, and, of course, her art. I was naturally a little burned when she makes that weakest of claims: “I’m not a feminist, BUT…”. When will people realize they can just go ahead and say whatever they were going to say after “BUT” and not have to fear they’ll be labelled a hairy-legged man-hater if they don’t qualify their statement with “I’m not a feminist”? Yeesh. Anyway, that aside, this interview is worth checking out for lovers of Satrapi’s novels Persepolis and Persepolis II, and for anyone who likes some cranky with their comix.